England’s Simon Dyson moved into contention for his third European Tour title as the third round of the weather-affected Open de España finally succumbed to fading light on Saturday night.
The 29 year old birdied three of his first five holes to move to nine under par for the tournament alongside Frenchman Gregory Bourdy and Carlos Rodiles of Spain who were both one under par for the four holes they managed before play ended.
Both Thursday and Friday’s play was badly affected by thunder and lightning in the Madrid area and Saturday did not escape with play halted again in the afternoon for thunderstorms which meant the leaders did not actually begin their third rounds until 7.50pm.
All 66 players who made the cut will return on Sunday morning to complete the third round before undertaking their fourth and final round requirements.
Nearest challenger to the leading trio going into the final day is Dyson’s fellow Englishman Nick Dougherty who is eight under par for the tournament through four holes of his third round while the close nature of the contest is illustrated perfectly by the fact that seven players lie on seven under par while a further ten are on six under par at various stages of their third rounds.
